In Saudi Arabia, Is Homosexuality as 'Humiliating' as Murder?

Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz bin Nasir al Saud, the grandson of the King of Saudi Arabia, is currently standing trial for murdering
his 32 year-old servant. The court alleges that the murder was sexually
motivated and that the prince had a romantic relationship with the male
servant.

This led Sholto Byrnes, columnist for the British
newsweekly The New Statesman, to wonder what is more "embarrassing" for
the super-wealthy Saudi royal family: that a member committed murder, or
that he may be gay. Byrnes quickly concludes that homosexuality is just
as bad as homicide. "Just as humiliating for the Royal family will be
the revelations that Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz bin Nasir al Saud, who is
King Abdullah's grandson, is homosexual."

The news that a Saudi prince is on trial
in London for killing an aide who it appears was also his gay lover
will be enormously embarrassing to the government back in Riyadh. Saudis
dislike bad publicity intensely, and especially when it involves a case
as horrific as a princely murder - as we in Britain should know well.

To
be fair, Byrnes is not saying that he himself finds homosexuality just
as objectionable as murder. He writes, "Officially this 'vice' is not
tolerated, and sodomy is punishable by death. This is in line with a
society that likes to insist on its version of the truth and airbrush
awkward episodes from the official record." Byrnes concludes by
suggesting that it is the gay men of Saudi Arabia, not misbehaving
royals or Saudi elites who brutalize servants (which is alltoocommon) or even would-be murders, who should learn a valuable lesson.

Prince
Saud's story will soon be known. Perhaps some of those reading it will
shudder, and give thanks that nothing similar happened to them – after
all, they may have already met him online.